When Olive Garden first opened its doors in Orlando, Florida, in 1982, it was an instant hit for its comforting Italian-inspired dishes. In fact, it was so busy that the management had to come up with a way to placate hungry patrons waiting for their food, and that's how the unlimited breadstick policy came to be. Those breadsticks went on to be one of the chain's most iconic offerings, along with several top Olive Garden dishes that fans order again and again, like the Fettuccine Alfredo and Lasagna. But there are also numerous dishes that have been discontinued despite having solid followings. Like many chain restaurants, Olive Garden often tweaks its menu, adding new dishes and swapping out others to stay aligned with current food trends and keep up with customer demand. The downside is that some genuinely great dishes get pushed aside, even though fans couldn't stop talking about them. For example, long-time fans of the chain may remember indulging in flatbreads, breadstick sandwiches, and special pastas that were simply divine. Obviously, Olive Garden can't keep every single item in rotation, but if any dishes are due for a comeback, we reckon it's these ones.
- Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta
Olive Garden has always taken inspiration from Italian cuisine, but the chain never been afraid to make dishes a little richer, cheesier, and more tailored to its American audience. A case in point is the Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta appetizer that appeared on the menu as far back as 2010. In Italy, fonduta is a warm cheese dip that's typically made with Fontina cheese and served fondue-style with bread for dipping. Olive Garden ran with that idea, but put its own twists on the dish.
Like the name suggests, the Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta featured smoked mozzarella, along with provolone, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses. Many copycat recipe creators suggest it may have also had something else in there to make it extra creamy, like sour cream. The dish was broiled until the cheese was bubbling and browning on the edges, then garnished with diced tomatoes and served with slices of bread on the side. It's unclear why Olive Garden took this crave-worthy dish, considering that many people thought it was the best appetizer on the menu. Some speculate that it simply took too long to make.
- Spicy Shrimp Scampi Fritta
If you dined at Olive Garden back in the 2010s, you may remember the Spicy Shrimp Scampi Fritta appetizer. It featured plump shrimp that were breaded and deep fried, then tossed in a pepper-laced sauce that wasn't over-the-top spicy, but offered pleasant hits of heat. For those who wanted to moderate the spice level, the sauce could be ordered on the side. There was also a classic version of the dish featuring fried shrimp with hints of citrus instead of the spicy sauce.
The spicy shrimp appetizer disappeared from the menu about five to six years ago, much to many diner's dismay. Both it and its non-spicy counterpart were replaced by the Shrimp Fritto Misto, which is still on the menu today. The newer iteration includes a half pound of breaded and deep-fried shrimp, onions, and red peppers piled into a bowl and served with marinara sauce and spicy ranch. Although many people say they prefer the older, spicier version, the current fried shrimp dish does get great reviews. In fact, it even earned the number one spot in our ranking of every Olive Garden appetizer.
- Chicken Giardino
Pastas have always been a major focus at Olive Garden, especially classics like the Fettuccine Alfredo, Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Cheese Ravioli. In addition, the chain has introduced several special pastas over the years, like the Chicken Giardino, which made an appearance sometime in the 1990s. It was billed as a low-calorie option, and fans couldn't get enough of it. It disappeared from the menu for a while, but made a comeback in 2018 and earned a whole slew of new fans before exiting the scene again in the early 2020s.
It's easy to see why people loved the Chicken Giardino. It featured ruffled pappardelle (or bow-tie pasta in the early days) with grilled chicken and a slew of vegetables, including spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and peas. It also featured a slightly creamy white wine sauce that offered hints of garlic, Italian herbs, and lemon. Even better, it clocked in at about 600 calories, making it one of the lighter pasta options. Fans said it was ultra-flavorful and satisfied those pasta cravings without weighing you down too much.
- Italiano Burger
In the early 2010s, Olive Garden was going through a bit of an identity crisis. Sales were dropping, so the company underwent some rebranding to attract new customers. One of the new menu items meant to lure people in was the Italiano Burger, which was a limited-time lunch offering. It was definitely a bold choice, considering burgers and fries aren't your typical Italian restaurant fare, but then again, Olive Garden has always done things a little differently.
The Italiano Burger debuted in 2013 and it consisted of a 6-ounce burger patty smothered in melted mozzarella cheese and topped with crispy prosciutto, arugula, and tomatoes marinated in garlic, basil, and spices. It was sandwiched in an Italian roll with a smear of garlic aioli and served with Parmesan garlic fries on the side. Although some said the burger was a tad on the bland side, many more said it was downright delicious. Some even predicted it would become a permanent menu item, but sadly, that wasn't to be. Once its limited time was up, the burger faded into the background.
- Venetian Apricot Chicken
Olive Garden may be best known for its pasta, but the chain has always offered non-pasta entrees as well. Long-running favorites include the Stuffed Chicken Marsala, Chicken Margherita, and the Sirloin steak, which earned a spot in our list of the best chain restaurant steaks under $20 you should be ordering. In 2012, the chain launched a number of "Lighter Italian Fare" dishes as part of its early-2010s makeover, and one non-pasta entrée that really stood out for diners was the Venetian Apricot Chicken.
Clocking in at just 400 calories, the Venetian Apricot Chicken was fresh, vibrant, and bursting with flavor. The main star of the dish was grilled chicken glazed with a sweet and savory sauce made with chicken stock and apricot preserves. The chicken also came with veggies on the side, including broccoli, asparagus, and tomatoes with basil. The dish was only a seasonal offering, so it wasn't around for too long, but based on the buzz it got and the amount of copycat recipes that are floating around, we wouldn't be surprised if Olive Garden decided to bring it back at some point.
- Spicy Calabrian Chicken Breadstick Sandwich
By 2015, Olive Garden was in full experimentation mode with new menu dishes. That was the year it launched its Breadstick Sandwiches, which are exactly what they sound like — sandwiches made with the chain's famous breadsticks. It was actually a pretty genius move, considering fans of the chain had already been sharing breadstick hacks for some time, like using Olive Garden breadsticks as hot dog buns. One of our favorite sandwiches on offer at that time was the Spicy Calabrian Chicken Breadstick Sandwich.
This hearty sandwich featured chicken cutlets that were lightly breaded, fried until crispy, then tossed with a spicy Calabrian chili sauce. They were layered into the fluffy breadstick roll, drizzled with gorgonzola sauce, and served with a side of Parmesan garlic fries. The sandwich offered a nice range of textures and the flavors were big and bold with a slight kick of heat from the Calabrian chiles. Sadly, the sandwich is now long gone, along with the Chicken Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmigiana, and Meatball sandwiches. Incidentally, the Deep Dish Spaghetti Pie from that era is also a goner, although we can't say we're too upset about that one.
- Ravioli di Portobello
Olive Garden has offered several ravioli dishes on its menu over the years, including versions stuffed with cheese, mushrooms, and beef and topped or tossed in a variety of sauces like carbonara and marinara. However, there's one ravioli dish that many diners believe stands out from all the others and that's the Ravioli di Portobello. Even though it's been discontinued, diners still talk about it today, waxing lyrical about the pillowy ravioli packed with a portobello mushroom mix and bathed in a creamy sun-dried tomato cheese sauce.
It's hard to say for sure why Olive Garden took this fan-favorite dish off the menu, but some believe it may have been because the scratch-made sauce was time-consuming and the ingredients weren't interchangeable with other dishes on the menu. To the chain's credit, it did bring the dish back for a few months in late 2025 and early 2026. However, many diners said it just wasn't the same as the OG dish. One Reddit user said, "The sauce is too zesty (and orange), maybe like they repurposed the four cheese marinara instead of actually using the creamy, relatively mild and only slightly tomatoey, mushroom sauce that used to be on it."
- Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Back in 2009, one of Olive Garden's most popular dishes was the Tuscan Garlic Chicken. In a YouTube video detailing how to make the dish, the chain claimed it was "inspired by recipes from the heart of Tuscany." It featured pan-seared chicken breast seasoned with Italian herbs and spices. That got layered onto a bed of curly fettuccine tossed with roasted red peppers, spinach, and a white
